vol_scouter

Just like so many other conflicts where we started out with only advisors. It is amazing how much vitriol there was for President Bush's policies where the same folks make excuses for attacking sovereign nations without provocation (Libya). I suppose that we should send advisors to Syria as well since people are getting killed there as well. It is time to quit being the police force for the world. The left should be screaming about this. I guess that the left ca no longer claim to be the peace party since they are supporting a war monger president. He has certainly made the Nobel Peace Prize a total joke.

Eamonn was interested in the prevalence of homo sexuality in society and I provided it to him. Obviously, the number bothers you somehow because I drew no value judgments.

For most students, the junior year in college marks the time when they become somewhat committed to a field and career path. Prior to beginning my junior year as a Physics major, the department chairman had a meeting with all sophomore Physics majors to discuss what the job market was and what kind of training was required. Then as now, the entry level degree in physics is a PHD and the job market is poor. That allowed everyone to realistically size up their chances of getting a job. It seems to me that it would be a good idea to have some sort of a program in high schools and in the first two years of college to talk to students about the job prospects in the various fields. That way, they can make informed decisions about careers. I have met far too many young people who were seeking jobs and had no real idea of the education required to secure their dream job or the likelihood of achieving it. Forcing kids into fields or limiting choices artificially is a mistake.

Eamonn, In earlier threads, I have cited the CDC which studies such things as the number of homosexuals in the society. It is important to know this partly to understand the AIDS problem better. The percentage of the population is much smaller than what most people think. I do not recall the exact way that they define this but the essence is that less than 2% of the population is homosexual (true for males and females). The studies note that in the late teens and early 20's, there is a little bump in the percentages (still less than 5% as I recall) due to folks experimenting with the lifestyle. So the

Eamonn, Would you have been offended if the title were Emperor Bush?

Then Calico, you then had to be elated that PRESIDENT BUSH went into Iraq where Saddam Hussein was butchering the Kurds and there were UN mandates to enforce the no fly zones. Right? What about Obama and Libya? Why did we attack a sovereign nation without provocation. If we are going into Uganda for humanitarian rights issues, what about all of the other countries such as North Korea and China? Vietnam started with only advisors and we all not what a disaster that was. So is the left now supporting using military force all around the world and being the world's police? I thought the left was make peace not war. Ah, I get it, if the left decides to go into a conflict, it is OK but if someone on the right does, it is always wrong. Obama has been ineffectual and wants to redistribute wealth (his own words) and wants socialism as seen in Obamacare. I have absolutely no dislike of Obama but his policies have failed and he is leading the country in the wrong direction. It is sad that 40% of the public supports his policies.

Seems as though the Nobel Peace Prize winner is a war monger at heart! His winning the Nobel Peace Prize has made an award that was suffering from only left wing ideologies winning and made it entirely a joke. Where are all the democrat voices that decried Bush now that Obama has attacked a sovereign country without provocation (Libya) followed by boots on the ground and now entering into another conflict when the congress may cut the military budget by a half a trillion dollars. Clearly, this is foolish for budgetary reasons as well as over stretching our military. That 40% of the American people still support Obama is most disturbing.

Shortridge, I have no knowledge what was done in this instance but in general, that is what is done. The sponsoring corporations pay the licensing and participation fees for the schools.

Nolerule, That applies only to the private sector.

Shortridge, From our council's executive committee/board meetings. LFL is supposed to be revenue neutral to the councils now. The BSA essentially sells the program to schools. The cost is typically borne by businesses, The figures that you present do not negate that.

Packsaddle, It can be said that nothing will get done because the democrats will not compromise with the republicans who had a substantial win in the last election. It is not the Tea Party's fault - it is both parties that are to blame. Considering the last election, the democrats should be making the most concessions.

The LFL program now is now longer funded through the councils proper. The LFL program is funded by private corporations who send money specifically for that program. So effectively, the school board turned down private dollars due to their prejudices.

Beavah, I agree with much of what you say. Neither party is intellectual. The country is changing. The problem that I have with what I understand of your stance is that the only possible way to right the ship is to cut spending which is what the Tea Party has caused to happen. We both agree that some increased taxes - preferably the fair tax - might be a good idea. The spending problems however cannot be corrected by taxing alone since I have read many times that if the government taxed away all of the 'wealthy' folks income, it would not balance the budget. So the Tea Party is needed to get some cuts - the Republicans and Democrats have shown no will or enthusiasm to do so. Is the fear made up on the right or is it real? It seems to me that if the current direction is followed the country will be forced to default because it will have over spent any chance of correcting the problems. So however I look at it, the Tea Party's input is essential. If the right is predicting what will happen, then it is not playing upon fears.

Packsaddle, An odd comment when there has not been charges of violence with the Tea Party which can hardly be said of the OWS crowd.

Eamon, I agree with your conclusions. Even though we disagree on the best method to address the country's problems, I have no doubt that we both want the same end points and would enjoy a cup of coffee around a campfire in the woods. Packsaddle, Remember, it is both sides that appointed folks with extreme views to the budget committee. The democrats are as much to blame as the republicans. It would appear that the democrat and republican leadership wants the committee to fail and have the mandatory cuts to medicare and the Department of Defense. Those cuts will do real harm to the DoD and the 20% cuts to medicare providers (doctors and hospitals) will result in chaos and the closure of hospitals in a few months. Hospitals are working typically on 1-3% profit margins and for most, ~60% of their business is medicare. They will all collapse it is just a matter of how long that their reserves last. I cannot fathom why the leadership of both parties find this to be acceptable.

Beavah, You only want to bash the Tea Party but it is over spending mainly by the Democrats but also due to the Republicans under Bush. If they had been more fiscally responsible, the current problems would not be so perilous. One has to hope that by the Tea Party demanding draconian cuts, they will compromise for less severe cuts. At the same time, the dems will agree to tax reform and less new taxation. Unfortunately, I have no confidence that either side will compromise which could doom us.

Seattle Pioneer, While it was not described as violent, the group pinned a security guard at the Air and Space Museum in Washington. They were trying to force their way into the museum to attack the drone on display. They were stopped because political signs are not permitted which led to them getting enraged when everyone did not bow to their demands. The Air and Space Museum was closed for the remainder of the day which prevented law abiding people who may have traveled large distances to see the museum. So while not violent, they are the antithesis of the Tea Parties which have done nothing like this. This OWS are disgusting.

Packsaddle, To answer an earlier question of yours, I among others criticized President Bush for spending too much money. If I recall correctly, Obama spent as much money in 2 years as Bush in 8 or something to that effect. Neither were sustainable but Obama's spending made the problem immediate. As someone said, the American revolution started with rabble rousers so another group that wishes to overthrow the government and economic system must be taken seriously especially in a time of high unemployment and economic uncertainty. I share your concern that we have fallen off a cliff and are about to be dashed at the bottom (which once again means that the OWS group could become a very dangerous group). While I disagree with you over the party that is most to blame, we agree that both parties are working for their self interests rather than working for the country. Beavah, The Tea Party politicians were right to seek cuts in spending but should have been willing to compromise over taxation.

Beavah, Sounds like we largely agree on R&D and Defense spending. Perhaps, I should have been more specific and said the Tea Party rallies to distinguish from the politicians. Both the Tea Party rallies and the OWS folks have some signs that are offensive but one can draw conclusions by what most of each groups are wanting to accomplish. The Tea Party wants to return to the Constitution, decrease government spending, and the size of the government. They do not want to get rid of capitalism and our government. That is a stark contrast. The equivalent to the Tea Party would be democrats that want more taxes, spending, and regulations. The OWS crowd is dangerous and frightening. As you note, the conditions are becoming ripe for insurrection. Let us hope that our government will decide that it is better to work together to solve the countries problems instead of scoring political points to get re-elected before it is too late.

Beavah, You are not correct in your statements regarding military research. Much of the technology developed gets into the private sector. Obvious examples are the internet and GPS. The need to stay ahead of our enemies is critical to our existence. If we fail to stay ahead, then all your, my, and everyone else's discussions about Tea Party's, deficit, spending, negative interest rates, etc. will have no meaning. Defense of the country is constitutionally required - entitlement programs are not. While that does not mean that entitlement programs are not important, defense of the country must remain a priority. Instead of fulfilling his campaign promise, Obama has entered the country into another war and ignored the War Powers Act in the process. Getting out of the wars will reduce military spending. Continued support of military research and modernizing the equipment is required for the survival of the country. The OWS crowd are unruly, nasty (one defecated on a police car yesterday according to a report), and violent. Over a thousand arrests so far. They do not like democracy or capitalism - i.e. they are against our country. That is a far cry from the Tea Party events with no arrests and wanting to decrease taxes, adhere to the constitution, and smaller government. They do not want the US government destroyed and capitalism destroyed. The OWS crowd have every right to protest but they are disgusting. The democrat party is praising their protests which is most disturbing. These are scary times.

Beavah, On the global warming, you are out of your element. The proper analogy is that 85-90% of the engineers say that a bridge is unsafe not because they believe it to be so but rather because the politicians who provide the funding for their research want them to reach that conclusion and will defund them in the future if they do not tow the line. The other 10-15% point out the obvious flaws in data collection and that the models being used do not work correctly so that the models are flawed at best and more likely just plain old wrong. So in the proper analogy, who do you believe? I know many climate scientists who will say privately that AGW is not supported by the data but will never do so in public. Why? Look what happens to those who disagree after the liberal media tears them apart on spurious points. If the models cannot predict the weather trends next month, then they cannot predict them over centuries. That is sheer nonsense. As to the financial crisis, the lending institutions were making bad loans that came home to roost. The democrats were forcing that behavior. The fancy investment instruments (most were devised by physicists and mathematicians who were not able to get traditional jobs so went to Wall Street and devised systems that the business folks do not understand but use nonetheless) contributed to the problems but the housing market collapse would not have been as deep or severe if the loans being made were good loans.

Let's see, President George W. Bush tried to get banking reforms to prevent the financial problems that occurred but was blocked by the democrats who, led by Schumer and Frank, had forced the banks into making loans to people who did not have the means to repay. The credit problems is due to the democrats. Obama didn't save GM, he saved the labor unions. GM could have gone through bankruptcy with similar end results except that it would have had no labor union contracts and thus could have moved to open shop states to be more competitive with import automobiles. Instead, the taxpayers have been saddled with the debt in order to protect the unions. Obama made a courageous decision in going after bin Laden. However, he and his staff then had to brag about what they knew instead of keeping the details of the mission secure. This may have cost the lives of nearly 30 special forces in an attack on a helicopter caring members of SEAL team 6. The economy is in shambles, unemployment is intolerably high, and Obama has got us involved in a third war where he is engaging in nation building (sounds like a criticism leveled at President Bush). Obama campaigned on getting rid of the patriot act but signed an extension into law. He did pass a healthcare bill that was opposed by 60% of the American people - not a very democratic thing to do. Fast and Furious is a scandal that should send many to prison. The Justice department has reversed 50 years of enforcing the civil rights laws fairly across the board and decided to be prejudicial. It seems to me that this extremist president is a failure and has received very kind reporting considering the terrible job that he has done.

Pack, You need not worry about the black hole stuff from the LHC. Besides, as an Eagle Scout he is trustworthy so quit worrying. The bigger problems created by physicists is the new trading methods on Wall Street (e.g. derivatives). These were physicists that could not find jobs in their field in the 1980's. Scary to have my fellow physicists on Wall Street! Congratulations on the Eagle Scout at CERN! Obviously, he is a fine young man and quite intelligent. Physics is a small field with >50,000 worldwide (some say

Packsaddle, You are correct in the history of science in the 20th century. The case is even worse than you made it seem because had not the fascist countries (primarily Germany) exiled some of their best scientists who came to America and became giants in their fields. Also, as China pulls out of its' Maoist version of communism it is to be expected that the best of 1 billion people will be competitive in the sciences. The issue is that we are selling science and technology and little else. If we fall behind, then we have nothing to sell. Beavah does not perceive the problem in manufacturing. Not being able to have heavy industry is a liability and will be fatal if our fall in scientific pre-emenince continues. That fall will not be quickly remedied from what I see in a science job. Pack, Calico, and Beavah, the more heavily that the federal government has become involved in education, the more expensive it has become and the worse the performance. Turning it over to the states does not mean that the educational opportunities or that education itself will get worse. It will likely improve as people once again have input into their children's educations.

BS-87 is correct. The Tea Party has social liberals and social conservatives though the conservatives out number the liberals just as in the society. In the general society, conservatives out number liberals by 2:1 but the Tea Party is likely more socially conservative. However, the Tea Parties across the country are clear that they are only about following the constitution and being fiscally responsible. The left wing media has no problems being prevaricators in order to enact their socialist/fascist agenda. For example, Rick Perry's statement about a black cloud over America. The Tea Party is just what the left likes to talk about being the most important kind of movement - a true grassroots movement of ordinary people. That fact is driving the left wing nuts.